


Ain't a Fairytale

by Triplexxx



Category: GOT7
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-04 19:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12175287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triplexxx/pseuds/Triplexxx
Summary: "Everything comes with a price. Everything. Some things just cost more than the others"Brom, The Child Thief





	1. Prologue

His eyes wandered restlessly around the living room which consist of a pair of old wooden chairs and a round table. There was a witch ball on the table that he recognized from all the Harry Potter series he'd watched, giving the impression that evil eyes were looking out from within. Wallpaper was coming off the wall, skull and bones at the corner of the room along with few candles adding to the creepy atmosphere. Gradually, everything made him to start rethinking his decision.

 

"So, have you given thought on it, Mr Im Jaebum?" her voice brought his attention back to her face. As he looked into her eyes, he felt a sudden, soul-shattering chill and out of nowhere a dank smell filled the room, making his mind hazy. But, he fought back to retain his composure, pushing all the unnecessary thoughts aside and spoke again.

 

"Please help him. Please. Do whatever you can to save him. Everything happened because of me-" his voice trailed off when reality hits him, and how everything sounds absurd, even to himself. But he had no choice, he's desperate. Besides, it won't hurt to try after all.

 

"I can do that, but-" she stop mid-sentence, looking straight into Jaebum's eyes and slowly, a smirk appeared on her face.

 

"It comes with a price.."


	2. CH 1

It's 5 minutes to 10PM and Mark had a serious sweet tooth and was craving for something sweet, something like his favourite Haägen-Dazs ice cream. But right now, all he could see inside his fridge was healthy foods- chicken breasts, lots of vegetables, fruits and eggs. All belong to his boyfriend, Jaebum, who currently in healthy eating diet plan after gaining few kgs. Blame it all on Mark since he persuaded Jaebum to eat with him every time he's craving in the middle of night and it took a toll on the younger's body instead of him. Jaebum definitely not pleased with that and as a result, all the unhealthy foods and sweets are now forbidden inside the house.

After contemplating for a moment, Mark decided to give in to his sweet tooth since his craving has been denied for few days and tonight was the last straw. Nothing else matters right now. All he could think of was his Bourbon Pecan Praline ice cream. So, plucking up all his courage, he walked towards his shared bedroom to get his wallet, and that means, he needed to confront Im Jaebum.

Mark opened the door slightly and peeked into his bedroom to find his boyfriend immersed his head in front of his laptop. Doing something that he can't figured out since he can't see anything from his spot. Then, something clicked inside his mind and slowly a smile appeared on his face as he cautiously walked towards him, trying his best not to make any sound before stopped behind the younger.

"Jaebum!" Jaebum was so startled at Mark's voice right behind him that he almost jumped out of his skin and muttered a few curse word before he turned around to find the culprit. Once he regained back his composure and realized what he was doing at that particular moment, he closed his laptop abruptly. And the scene was kind of awkward to anyone who saw it. It felt like he was doing something wrong and got caught in the middle of it.

"What are you doing? Are you watching porn, Im Jaebum?" Mark raised his eyebrows and gave him a questionable look.

"Hell no! What do you take me for, Mark Tuan? Besides.....I have you, We can do more than that." He replied, showing his boyfriend a sly grin and earned him a light punch on the chest from the latter.

"Damn. I can't win with you, can I?" He whined at Jaebum's antic, and as always, he began to pout whenever he ended up losing in a battle he has no chance of winning in the first place. 

A grin broke out on Jaebum's face and Mark had sworn that he will make the younger pay for it next time. But before he could protest more, Jaebum putted his arms around the older's waist and pulled him into his lap, fully aware that this little gesture could make Mark's heart went crazy.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked. His eyes never leaving Mark's flushed face.

"Ah... I'm craving for an ice cream and since we have none in our fridge, thanks to that certain someone, I need to go to the convenience store."

"Again?" asked the younger, just like what Mark had expected, but he has few tricks up his sleeve to make the younger gave in and now it's the time to tip the odds in his favour.

"Please~" watching on how Jaebum's eyes flickered from his face to the unknown direction upon hearing his aegyo, Mark knows he has a chance.

"Okay. But, don't ask me to eat with you. I won't fall for your little trick anymore." Mark's high pitch laughter filled the room, earned him a low growl from the younger. Lately, he's too insecure about his weight gained even Mark had told him numerous times that it's barely noticeable- except his pants getting tighter on thigh area, and not that Mark's going to complain about that.

"We'll see about that."

Jaebum motioned him to stand up and then grabbed his wallet and phone before his eyes met with Mark's confused look.

"Mm.. Where are you going?" asked Mark.

"Convenience store."

"Nah.. Don't bother. I can go by my own and you stay here.. Finish up whatever you're doing just now."

"Are you sure?" his eyebrow rose.

"I'm not a kid, Jae." and Mark walked out of the room, leaving Jaebum alone, looking at Mark figure disappeared behind the door.

Phew. 

Jaebum let out a deep and long sigh once his boyfriend left the room. Relieved Mark didn't see what's on his laptop's screen or else everything that he planned for weeks will be in vain. Luckily, he has a knack for acting and made Mark fell for his lie- or at least, that's what he thought.

A trip to Busan to celebrate Mark's birthday was the plan that he worked his ass off and Jaebum would like to keep it a secret from his boyfriend until the D-Day, which is in a couple of days. Imagining Mark's possible reaction made him grinning widely. No longer able to hold his excitement to spend the weekend with him. So, everything needs to be perfect from A to Z for him to impress Mark.

~~~

A cool, early autumn night breeze welcomed Mark as he stepped out of the house. His face brightened up, like the stars in the night sky, and gradually a smile made its way across his face as the wonderful feeling building up inside him. Witnessing how hard Jaebum tried to hide things that Mark already knows made him feel guilty. But he doesn't want to ruin Jaebum's surprise. So, he needs to play along.

"Cute"

Smile never leaving his face. Suddenly, his phone rang, disturbing his train of thought and slowly his smile faded once he saw the caller's name. With a heavy heart, he picked up the call.

"What's up?"

"Oh..Hello to you."

"Fine. Fine.. Hi Jackson. What's up?" 

A laughter erupted from the other end of line and once the laughter died away, he spoke in a sober tone.

"Just wanna ask if you free this saturday? Wanna have a lunch together? My treat."

To be honest, Mark actually saw this coming when he decided to pick up the Hong Kong male's call.

"Sorry.. I'll be away this weekend."

"Really? Where?"

"Busan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy. Feel free to leave constructive criticisms for me to improve myself:)


	3. CH 2

"So, how's about monday?" Jackson asked, trying his luck, hoping Mark would say yes.

"I'll think about it. Hey Jackson, I've got to go. Talk to you later. Bye." he hung up quickly before Jackson could say anything further. Picking up the younger call this late was already a mistake, let alone agreeing to his invitation when he clearly knows Jackson's real intention. If Jaebum finds out about this, he'll be dead meat as well as Jackson.

He still remember the first time Jaebum met Jackson at the cafe. When he introduced both of them, the two hit it off quite well straight away, making Mark feel like a third wheel. Everything went well for quite some times until Bambam, their friend, accidentally spill everything to Jaebum (which he insisted that it was a slip of the tongue). Regarding Jackson's real feeling- the younger had a serious crush on Mark and was trying to hit on him, even now. And thanks to Bambam's loose-tongued, he had been ignored by his angry boyfriend for a whole week and to make up for his mistakes, he'd promised not to engage with him unless it's business related, considering they're colleague. 

Since then, every time they met, scrub that, when they accidentally bump into each other, Jaebum will try to assert his dominance by placing his hand around Mark's hip and never once broke his gaze on Jackson until the latter broke away. But Jackson being Jackson. Pretending not to be affected by Jaebum's warning when he clearly did.

With a deep sigh, he resumed his steps towards the convenience store, wanted to indulge himself in a tub of ice cream or anything sweet he can find inside the store. 

The store was quite empty tonight unlike usual, where usually it's full of students who came for late midnight snack. There's only three people inside, including himself and the cashier. The other guy was sitting on one of the chair inside the store, flipping through the magazine- looked like he was reading it but Mark knows best. That guy's eyes were on him the moment he entered the store. 

Mark stole a glance out of the corner of his eyes at him. He looks rather young, around 3 to 4 years younger than him, wearing a dark navy blue hoodie and one thing that stood out to Mark was a mole under his eyes. But surely the younger has got some nerve to openly stared at him and Mark hate to admit that it somehow made him feel restless.

"Did I have shit on my face? Is something wrong with my clothes?" all kind of weird thoughts running through his head and he quickly checking his reflection through the glass door but he saw nothing out of ordinary.

Pushing all the unnecessary thoughts aside, he went straight to the ice cream section to get the thing that always ruined his so-called healthy diet in the middle of the night. But then, he had a sudden change of heart. Instead of an ice cream, he went for a bowl of ramyeon. Instant noodle never go wrong in this kind of chilly weather. Not even once.

Then, he settled down on the nearest seat, ready to dig in his food before someone tapped lightly on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the cashier standing in front of him, bowing a little before passing him a folded note.

"I'm sorry. The guy who sat there just now, asked me to pass this to you."

He doesn't even know the said guy for him to receive any note from the latter and this is not some kind of rom-com drama where the hero received ton of letters from secret admirer. Nonetheless, he thanked her and quickly unfold the note.

Don't go to Busan.

Those four words hit him like a stone. How on earth, a stranger, a total stranger like him knew about Jaebum's surprise plan unless he's Jaebum's friend. But he doubted that since he knows all of them. The only way to get the answer was confronted that guy. Abruptly, he rose from his seat and ran outside, frantically searching for the stranger but of course, he's no longer there. The road was empty, not a single soul presence at that particular moment. With a heavy steps, he walked back into the store and headed to the counter.

"Excuse me. This note..did he by chance tell you his name?" asked Mark.

"Ah.. Yes, he did. What was his name again.." She frowned. The said guy did mention his name when he passed the note but now she couldn't remember. With a little effort, she hopes, she could remember his name.

"Mmm.. Choi- something.." she frowned harder.

"Ah.. Choi Youngjae."

~~~

A pair of eye followed Mark's slender figure, head hung low as he walked away from the store. He wished he could tell Mark everything but for now, all he could do was praying and hoping.

"I wish I could say more.."


	4. CH 3

Choi Youngjae.

The name repeated inside his head, again and again like a mantra. He's pretty sure, no, hundred percent sure he never met that guy or heard his name in his entire life. Because if he did, this 'choi youngjae' guy will never go unnoticed by him especially with his cute mole under his eye, just like how he's mesmerized by Jaebum's twin moles. Not that he has developed particular interest on moles, well, maybe a little bit. But yeah, he'll definitely remembered if he ever encountered the younger.

And the note-

What does he means by don't go to Busan. Is something bad going to happen to him or Jaebum if he decided to ignore it. And most importantly, how did he knows about Jaebum's secret plan. No matter how much he thinks about it, none of that made any sense to him. Too much irrelevance and random dots to connect with. 

Mark sighed. He ran a hand over his face and neck for the nth times. His head hurt. Forcing his brain to work this late only strained the brain and won't do any good to him. 

But little did he knows, Jaebum was watching him all the time, while he was so lost in his own thought. He can tell that something was bothering Mark by looking at his scrunched up face and how frown lines marred his forehead ever since he came back from convenience store. 

"Is something bothering you?" Jaebum's voice snapped him back to their dimly lit living room, interrupting his own train of thought. And slowly, he looked up at the younger who sat right across him, whose eyes never leaving his face.

"Ah.. Nothing. Just tired and sleepy. I'm so beat." He's faking a yawn while stretching his limbs out. Trying his best to act as natural as he can in front of Jaebum's hawk-eyes.

"C'mere." Jaebum said softly, motioning Mark to come and sit next to him. Taking a deep sigh, he walked towards the younger and plopped himself down next to him. Slowly, his head moved down onto Jaebum's lap. And they remained silence for brief moments before Jaebum spoke again.

"You wanna talk about it- things that bothering you just now? And, don't use nothing as your excuse. I won't buy it."

The phrase sounded so familiar to Mark. Too familiar to be honest. He looked up and saw a grin appeared on the younger's face.

"Hey, that's my line."

Jaebum no longer able to contain his laughter and burst out in hysterics. Mark growled and hit him in the chest out of frustration.

"Ouch.. Okay, okay. I'm sorry." His laughter became fainter and fainter and gradually died away. Silence took over again but this time, it's a moment where both of them enjoyed each other's company without the need to utter any word.

"Hey, Jae"

"Hmm." He hummed in response, as he caressed Mark's dark brown hair, twirling and playing with his too-long bangs. He made a mental note to ask Mark to cut his bangs later.

"Do you know anyone named Youngjae.. Choi Youngjae?" Asked Mark, turning his head slightly to his boyfriend.

"Choi Youngjae?" He frowned, trying to remember if he ever encountered anyone with the said name.

"Never heard. Why?"

Great. Now, he has to make up a lie on the spot or else he has to tell Jaebum everything, including his surprise plan was no longer a secret- and that was the last thing he wanted to do. But again, his brain doesn't cooperate, no matter how much he tried.

"Ah.. That-"

Suddenly, Jaebum's phone rang right at the crucial moment and brought their conversation to a halt. Looked like circumstances were in his favour. 

Bless whoever the caller was for helping him, literally.

And thanks to the call, the rest of the night went well.

~~~

A new day has begun as the sun rising in the sky and spreading its ray to the world but Mark was still fast asleep. Faint noises from the outside were as calm as a lullaby for his sleepy state and his duvet gave him all the warmth he needed. But it's not for too long before his alarm clock start ringing and made him sprang up into a sitting position.

Shit. He muttered few curse words that his brain could picked up this early morning. He leaned over, grabbed the alarm clock beside his bed and turned it off. It's 9am. Still too early for him especially during his day off. Then, he saw a note beside his bed.

Rise n shine sleeping beauty,

Sorry bout the alarm. Need to make sure you're not missing your breakfast. I've made an abalone porridge and don't forget to heat it up. I'll be back around 8 tonight and let's have dinner together.

Love, 

Jaebum.

"Im freaking Jaebum!"

~~~

The rest of the day went slower than normal for Mark and it's driving him crazy. Spending his time alone in the house made him wish the night would come faster and to kill the time, he decided to play a game. Besides, he has a task to beat Jaebum's score so that he couldn't brag about it any longer. Eventually he lost track of times.

As the sunshine slowly drains from the sky, he realized he has an hour before Jaebum back from work and have dinner together. 

Dinner. Yes, they'll have dinner and he's pretty sure Jaebum will tell him about his surprise plan tonight since his birthday is tomorrow. Giddy with the idea of dinner or maybe a romantic dinner, he hurriedly went to his bedroom to get ready for tonight.

After contemplating over 'what-to-wear-tonight" clothes, he decided to wear his ripped jeans and oversize sweater that Jaebum bought for him. Nice and comfortable, like always. He stood in front of the mirror, checking on his appearance and once satisfied with his look, he walked out of the room. 

It's already a quarter to 12 but Jaebum still nowhere to be seen. All his calls went straight to voicemail and he has sent ton of messages but to no avail. No reply whatsoever and it's worries him, afraid something bad might happened to Jaebum. Normally, if something came up, he'll let Mark knows but right now, he's like totally off the radar. 

Mark paced back and forth, eyes never leaving the phone in his hand. He tried to get rid all the negative thoughts that starting to well up inside him.

When the clock strikes midnight, the lights suddenly went out and it freaked him out. Being in a dark place, alone, made his hearing sharpened and all his other senses awaken. Then, he heard a clanking sound from the front door. It must be Jaebum.

"Jaebum?" 

Silence. He could hear his own heart beat which beating like crazy right now. Using his cell phone to light up, he walked slowly towards the living room.

Then, out of nowhere, someone appeared in front of him and gave him a fright.

"Surprise~" lights came back on and standing in front of him were Jaebum with a cake on his hands and his best friends, Jinyoung and Bambam. 

"Bloody hell!" He's too shocked that he staggered to his feet.

"Jae, you really scared the hell out of me. Don't ever do that again or I'll skin you alive."

"Aww.. Don't get mad, birthday boy. I just wanted to give you a little surprise. Happy birthday, handsome." Said Jaebum as he went to kiss Mark's lip but the elder turned his head at the very last moment, lost the timing, so the kiss landed on his cheek.

"Ah.. What a shame, Mark Tu-" His words got cut off by Mark's sudden movement as he leaned closer, closed the distance and kiss him on the lip.

"You talk too much, Jae."

Then, a loud "Eeeeewwwww.." can be heard in the background and the sound was coming from none other than bambam, earning him a light punch from Jinyoung.

"Sorry. That was just..19 rated." Bambam said, suppressed a giggle from coming out.

"Ah.. Happy birthday, hyung." They took turn to hug the elder before placing a 12-pack of beer and fried chickens on the table, made a preparation for the birthday party.

"It's going to be a wild night, I guess." Mark smile.

By the time they were halfway through their drink, everyone was slightly drunk and out of nowhere, Bambam suggested them to play a game.

"What game?" And now he'd gotten everyone attention and they start gathering around the table.

"Truth or Dare?"

They nodded their head in agreement at Bambam's suggestion. This guy sure had a lot of ideas inside his head.

"So, let's start with birthday boy." Said Jaebum. "Truth or Dare, Mark?"

"I'll go with dare."

"Wow. I'm impressed. Mmm.. Let's see-"

"Hyung, I've an idea." Jinyoung leaned closer to Jaebum and whispered something in his ear, making the latter grinning from ear to ear. And it made Mark nervous.

"You need to put on makeup and dance to any girl group song for 1 minute."

"But- where can I find makeup?"

"Don't worry, hyung." Bambam spread out his basic makeup kit on the table and caught everyone attention. Now, he has no excuse to reject the dare challenge. With a deep sigh and with the help of the others, Mark completed the dare, dancing to Girl's Day's 'Something'. It's going to be a nightmare that will haunt him forever once he sobered up. 

And now, he's got the upper hand to choose and everyone started showering him with all sweet words.

"Jinyoung, your turn." He pointed to the younger and everyone can see how horrible he looks, to be chosen as the next target.

"I choose truth."

"Okay. Only tell the truth or penalty awaits you."

"I know. Bring it on."

"Hmmm.. Have you ever loved anyone inside this room?" Mark's question piqued everyone's interest and now all eyes were on him, clearly eager to hear his answer.

"Wow.. I should go with dare." Jinyoung said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well-" clearing his throat for the umpteenth times. He mumbled softly.

"Yes, I do."

 Upon hearing Jinyoung's answer, questions keep coming from them, especially from Bambam, asking 'is it me?'- 

"Hey, only one question, remember? Wait for another round. Well, if I still choose truth."


	5. CH 4

Mark. Mark.

Hearing his name being called over and over again, Mark blinked open his eyes, slowly brought him into focus before he felt the room spin and abruptly closed them again with a groan. Last night's alcohol still coursing through his system.

"Shit." This is what you got when you've gone to bed after too much booze.

"Wake up, birthday boy. Or we'll be late for our trip." Jaebum said and then Mark felt his bed dipped from the younger's weight before a kiss landed on his forehead.

"Trip?" He paused for a second and his brow knitted into a puzzled frown before last night event flooded his brain."Ah- Busan."

"Yeah.. Now, wake up sunshine. Get a shower and I'll make breakfast for us." Another kiss landed on Mark's lip before he could protest.

"Mmm~ 5 minutes." earned him a smack on the bum.

"Nah.. Up, sleepyhead!" 

After Jaebum left the room, he rose from their bed, staggered to his feet and swaying a little as he walked towards window. He needed some fresh air to clear his head and then something caught his attention.  

It's the guy from the convenience store. He shook his head few times, afraid he's imagining things or maybe the effect of the alcohol was still clouding his mind, but the guy was still there. Choi Youngjae was still there, standing in front of his apartment, staring at him, as if trying to tell him - Don't you ever forget about what I'd told you.

Time went by and the note slipped his mind until today, this morning, when that guy decided to appear in front of him and bringing back the last few night's event. He sure can't leave Mark alone. 

"I don't give a damn about your warning and leave me alone!" As he silently mouthed the words, not wanting to grab Jaebum's attention and hoping the said guy will stop bothering him.

Annoyingly, he turned decisively from the window and walked with a quick step to the bathroom. So many thoughts came knocking at his tired- should he said slightly intoxicated mind right now. He just stood under the running shower but his mind wandered elsewhere until the water turned icy cold and jolted him out of his train of thought.

Done with shower and packing his things, he walked towards the kitchen to where Jaebum was, he walked past their living room and abruptly stopped midway. Eyes widened in surprised, could only cursed under his breath looking at the area. It looked like their house was hit by a typhoon- empty beer bottles and cans were scattered here and there, and to make it worse, it smelled like someone has vomited in there. 

"Oh.." Mark's voice has caught Jaebum's attention at last. 

"I know. Messy, huh. We're completely wasted last night. It's gonna take forever to clean that up." He paused for a second before continuing on. "Tea?"

Mark nodded. He walked slowly towards the kitchen and took a seat beside Jaebum, slowly sipping at her green tea. Refreshing, and that is what he needed the most at that moment.

"Where are they?"

Mark asked since there's no single soul present at the moment. Neither Bambam nor Jinyoung.

"Oh, Jinyoung's sister came just now to pick them up. Are you done with your packing?"

"Yup. Just need few shirts and shorts."

"So, we're set then."

~

Their road trip to Busan was filled with Jaebum humming and singing to all songs played in the radio and Mark happily banging his head to the younger voice, just like the welcoming early autumn in South Korea. The summer heat still linger but not as hot as in July and the sky was particularly blue and clear that day, made it perfect for outings.

After 2 hours of continuous journey, Jaebum decided to take a break at nearby rest area. He stepped out of the car to stretch out his numb legs after sat for too long in the car while Mark went out to toilet. Imagining spending their time together alone made him smiling widely. He can't wait to reach Busan.

Then, he heard a phone ringing. Instantly, he looked for his phone inside his pocket but it wasn't his. It must be Mark's phone. At first, he wanted to ignore it but it keeps on ringing and gradually caught his attention.

"Must be important." He said to himself as he looked for his boyfriend's phone. But what come next was something that he never imagined to see.

"Buckle up." Only two words coming from Jaebum's mouth, the moment Mark step into the car. His voice was stern and he doesn't even spare him a glance.

"Later~" he tried to lighten up the atmosphere but met with another stern voice from his boyfriend. "Now"

"Jae, what's wrong?" 

Something was definitely wrong. How on earth someone can change in a split second if nothing's happened. One moment he was happily singing along the journey and looking forward to the trip. The next, everything was gone. Anger clearly has written all over his handsome face and Mark has no idea why. But, pushing Jaebum to spill everything won't do any good either. So, for now, he only can hope time will heal everything and his anger will subsided. Finger crossed.

With Jaebum focusing on the road, completely ignoring him, Mark decided to kill the time by playing mobile games on his phone but his phone wasn't inside his pocket. Panic swept over him for a moment until he saw his phone on the centre console. He let out a sigh of relief.

Once his phone was unlocked, Jackson's message appeared on his screen, dated today- exactly 10 minutes ago around the time he went out. 

Don't forget our lunch date this Monday and I won't take no for an answer.

And now, each piece of puzzle has fitted into their own slot. 

Shit. Cautiously, he turned to his boyfriend.

"Mmm.. Jae, did you-?" Mark spoke, unsure where to take the conversation as he carefully analyze Jaebum's face.

Mark heard Jaebum draw in his breath, heard the low controlled rage in his voice as he said. "What? Read your message?" His eyes never leaving the road, but Mark could feel his anger building up inside the younger.

"I.. Listen- I can explain." Looking at how unstable Jaebum's breathing was and how he held the steering wheel tightly, Mark knows he held back his anger. So, he need to come clean before the younger got the wrong idea. He continued. "He called me few days ago when I went to convenience store and asked me out for a lunch but I refused. Look, you've got the wrong idea about this whole situation."

"So, you picked up his call, at night. Great, Mark." Again, he spoke in dry and sarcastic tone.

"For God's sake, Jaebum. Listen to me. It's not what you think. He's just a friend, like you and Jinyoung." Mark tried to reach for his boyfriend's hand before the latter yanked his hand away.

"Don't you dare compare him to Jinyoung." The words that came out from Jaebum's mouth caught him off guard, how inconsiderate the younger was towards his feeling, his own boyfriend, and that was the last straw. He had enough of Jackson and Jinyoung things, ready to explode any second.

"Why? Is Jinyoung more important to you than I am? Do you really think I don't know he had feelings for you?" Mark burst out. He rarely get angry with someone but today the younger really test his patience. 

"Cut the crap! He's like my brother." Jaebum snapped back.

"Tsk.. Does he think the same way?" The mocking tone in Mark's voice echoed inside the younger's head and that's all what it takes for them to fall into deep silence. But the tension between them grew stronger with each passing second.

Jaebum slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, increasing the car speed. He was clouded by jealousy to think straight right now and as a result, the car speeding at twice the speed limit before he lost control.

"Jaebum!!"

And Mark was screaming his name before everything turned black.

~

And the next thing he remembered was waking up to the sound of footsteps, white walls and the familiar disinfectant smell he tried to avoid when he was a kid. Now, as he came awake, he could feel something was wrong with his body. Every muscles and cells inside his body screamed pain and it feels like he's been punched hard all over his body. The aches are so severe made him groaned continuously whenever he tried to move.

Then, a faint voice drifted into his ears. Sounds like someone was talking to him or asking him a question but he can't make out the words no matter how much he tried to focus. 

"Where am I?" He questioned as he tried to sit up before a fresh wave of dizziness forced him to lay back in his bed. And with so much efforts, despite his thumping headache, he looked at the source of the voice. It's Jinyoung. Then, something hit him hard. He was on his way to Busan with Mark until- he woke up in this hospital. Jaebum looked restless, his eyes wandered around, frantically searching for his boyfriend. And before Jinyoung could say anything, he cut in. "Mark?" 

After a brief silence, he asked again but this time his voice came out harsher and one pitch higher than he intended, made Jinyoung flinched in his seat."Where is Mark?" 

"Mark, he.. He's still in surgery."


	6. CH 5

"I want to see him!"

He jolted out of bed upon hearing the news and frantically ripped the IV drip from his arm before Jinyoung could stop him from doing that.

"Please Jaebum, not now. You have to rest. Don't worry, I ask Bambam to stay there and keep us update about him." He pleaded but Jaebum being Jaebum, he won't listen to anyone once he made up his mind. 

He sighed as he saw him rose from his bed stubbornly despite his condition, "The doctor gonna kill me."

~

"Hyung?" Bambam looked quite confused when he saw Jaebum limping towards him. He looked at Jinyoung, wanting to ask why the elder was here instead of resting, only to meet with a defeated look on the latter face as he mouthed- Don't ask.

"What happen to Mark?" Jaebum began, eyes fixed on the younger.

"I'm not really sure but I heard the doctors said he sustained a severe head injury." This is worse than he ever imagined. Why all this only happen to Mark when he's also there, inside the same car and yet he only received few stitches on his forehead and few deep bruises. It doesn't make any sense.

"Why?" The only word that came out from Jaebum' mouth, that he could think of right now. His eyes wandered from Bambam's to Jinyoung's face, waiting for an answer.

"He wasn't wearing his seatbelt." Jinyoung chimed in and bit by bit, his memories before he blacked out came knocking inside his head but they're so unclear and fragmented. And gradually, they fell into silent.

The minutes passed and the silence lengthen. Both of them were so lost in their own thought before Jinyoung broke it.

"Hey, do you remember anything? I mean- The accident. It's very unlikely for a car to skid off the straight road during the day unless you're avoiding something on the road. And as far as I know you're a good driver."

Jinyoung wasn't trying to sugar coat anything to make Jaebum feel less guilty but he is indeed a good driver. He was the type of guy who cared about his passenger's safety especially when Mark's life is at stake- speeding, yes but not driving recklessly or dangerously.

"I don't know-" his voice trailed off. No matter how much he tried to recall his memories on the day of the accident, nothing much appeared inside his head. 

He was silent a moment or two, then added, "I was enraged and let my emotion took control over me. I'm the one to blame." 

After a sigh or two, he slumped further forward in his seat and burying his face in his hands.

"Don't say that. It was an accident."

"No!! I fucking drove above speed limit and lost control. If anything happened to him-"

"Nothing will happen to him. He'll make it through. He'll make it through.." Jinyoung keeps repeating the words over and over again like a mantra as he wrapped his arms around Jaebum and pulled him closer and oddly enough, it does help the latter to calm down.

When they were about to fall into a comfortable silence, a nurse came and broke their peace, looking for Mark's guardian. And before Jaebum could say anything, Jinyoung rose from his seat and volunteered himself as one, earning him a death glare from Jaebum. The nurse then excused herself and asked him to follow her to the doctor's room.

"Stay here. I'll go with Bambam." He dragged Bambam with him before the younger could protest and Jaebum can only watched them go, leaving him behind.

Being left alone allowed him to think of so many things, including the argument they had in the car before the car crash. Everything was absurd. They fought just because of one message from Jackson when it's clearly not Mark's fault and to make it even worse, he lashed out his anger on the latter when Mark brought Jinyoung into the picture. 

He felt so pathetic and scared right now, like a child in a big and scary place unable to function without an adult around, which he never felt before. He let out a deep sigh.

He's too lost in his own emotions to realize someone had occupied the vacant seat beside him and stared at him for quite some times.

"Do you need help, young man?" She said, snapped him out of his train of thought. He turned around and saw a very beautiful lady around his age was looking at him.

"Young man? You look way younger than me." He wanted to say it but he couldn't make the words leave his mouth. So, he chose to ignore the girl.

"Ah.. Too bad. If you ask me nicely, I can help your precious little friend inside there."

This time she got his full attention.

"How-" he asked.

"How did I know? I know a lot of things, Im Jaebum."

Hearing his full name came out from a stranger caught him off guard and his eyes widen in surprise. He wanted to say something, anything, or at least asking how she knows his name but the words stuck inside his throat. And watching he's struggling for word, she continued.

"If you ever need my help, you may find me here."

She pulled out a pen from her bag, grabbed Jaebum's hand and wrote something on it. A smile appeared on her face as she looked at Jaebum's reaction. Looks like someone has bitten the bait.

She then leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "I'll be waiting for you."

Those words alone were enough to send shivers down his spine. And before he could say anything, she stood up, turning towards him and gave him one last glance before walked away. All he could do was looking at the her silhouette gradually disappeared in the crowd and then something clicked inside his head.

"She looks familiar.."

The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps jolted him back into the present and brushed away the thoughts. She then turned at the sound and saw Jinyoung and Bambam were standing right in front of him.

"Hey, what the doctor said?" He asked, but judging from their face and the way they hesitated to reply, he can tell that something was wrong after their meeting with the doctor.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me-" he couldn't finished his sentence, afraid to even think of it.

After much thought and careful consideration and countless exchanged glances between them, Jinyoung spoke.

"They need to halt the surgery since his blood pressure has dropped very rapidly-" Jinyoung paused for a moment, eyes never leaving Jaebum's face but the latter did not show any emotions on his face and it worries him.

"Hyung, he's in a critical condition.. They want us to prepare for the worst." Jinyoung stated, tapping him on his shoulder, trying to get the elder's attention, just in case he doesn't realize how bad the situation was right now, but he just remained silent. His face was blank and it's hard to tell what's inside his mind.

Then, suddenly, Jaebum got up and began to walk away with an unexplainable expression attached on his face, towards the hospital's main entrance, leaving them mystified at the peculiar expression on Jaebum's face and at his sudden movement.

"Where are you going?" 

He shouted through the crowd but it's too late. Jaebum was no longer in sight, he's gone in a split second. He sure is fast for someone who just woke up and survived from a crash.

~

His eyes wandered restlessly around the living room which consist of a pair of old wooden chairs and a round table. There was a witch ball on the table that he recognized from all the Harry Potter series he'd watched, giving the impression that evil eyes were looking out from within. Wallpaper was coming off the wall, skull and bones at the corner of the room along with few candles adding to the creepy atmosphere. Gradually, everything made him to start rethinking his decision.

"So, have you given thought on it, Mr Im Jaebum?" her voice brought his attention back to her face. As he looked into her eyes, he felt a sudden, soul-shattering chill, something that he didn't realized earlier today during their first encounter and out of nowhere a dank smell filled the room, making his mind hazy. But, he fought back to retain his composure, pushing all the unnecessary thoughts aside and spoke again.

"Please help him. Please. Do whatever you can to save him. Everything happened because of me-" his voice trailed off when reality hits him, and how everything sounds absurd, even to himself. But he had no choice, he's desperate. Besides, it won't hurt to try after all.

"I can do that, but-" she stop mid-sentence, looking straight into Jaebum's eyes and slowly, a smirk appeared on her face.

"It comes with a price-" before she could finish her sentence, Jaebum cut in.

"Just name it. I'm willing to pay."

"Very well then. I'll save him but- in return, I'll take his memory of you." 

She continued. "Ah- before I forget, there's one condition."

~

"Im Jaebum, where have you been? Everyone was looking-" Jinyoung almost shouting at his best friend once he saw him walking towards him but when he saw Jaebum looked so lost, walking with his head hung low, he stopped himself.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Sorry. I need to go somewhere. How's Mark?" He replied, speaking in a monotone.

"You're not gonna believe this.." He paused for a brief moment, trying to hide the smile that threatened to form on his face. But, with Jaebum's lack of interest in whatever he's about to say, he screamed in joy at the elder. "He's awake! He's transferred to your ward."

And it took Jaebum few minutes to process the news before he realized what Jinyoung trying to tell him. Mark was awake. And that can only mean on thing..

As the realization hit him, Jaebum ran towards his destination and left Jinyoung behind, who was struggling to catch up to him, continuously asking Jaebum to wait for him. Once, he reached the ward, his eyes frantically searching for his boyfriend before something caught his attention. Jackson. Jackson was there, looking at Mark fondly and a smile never leaving Mark's face. Jaebum knows the smile. The smile that once belongs to him, only him and it always plastered on Mark's handsome face whenever they're together. But now, not anymore.

Jinyoung knows what he was thinking right now, so he slowly patted Jaebum's back and they walked towards them and Jinyoung was clearing his throat to make their presence known, causing both Mark and Jackson looked at them. Upon seeing Jaebum, Jackson abruptly sprang from his seat and eyes fixed on the ground. 

"Why is he here?" He asked, holding his anger back. If possible, he'd like to punch Jackson in the face but the last time he lashed out his anger, he almost killed Mark. So, he'll try to hold it back this time even if it'll bruise his ego. But, what Mark said next left everyone stunned.

"He's my friend, so of course he has to be here but you- Who the hell are you?"


	7. CH 6

Mark awoke with the booming voice still loud in his ears, and a dream of a high pitched voice, which he recognized as his, crying and calling out someone's name was so clear inside his head before everything gradually disappeared and replaced by the beeping sound of hospital's machines and faint noise from his surrounding, forcing him to open his eyes. 

He blinked his eyes into hazy focus and began looking around the room, trying to figure out where he was until his eyes settled on a man in a white coat. Dr Brian Kang. He read the name on his ID card. So, he's in a hospital for an unknown reason. Mark met his gaze and saw confusion crossing his features, as if he wasn't supposed to wake up right now, before a smile took place.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?"

Mark just nodded. He could only nodded, and his throat was dry. Although he was fine, he felt no pains, in fact, he felt so damn good but he had to admit that there were a lot of unsolved things and questions buzzing inside his head and no matter how much he tried to push it out the words seem stuck inside his mouth.

As time went on, the bewilderment seemed to grow on Mark's face, his mouth began to open and closed few times and his Adam's apple began to rise and fall. And it caught the doctor's attention.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" 

Mark nodded again. And when the doctor told him how he ended up here in this hospital, but none of the words have triggered his memory loss regarding the car crash. He had no memory of it at all. As if, God has taken out his soul and put someone else into his body on that particular day.

Mark looked up at the doctor, trying to voice out his concern since he can't remember anything that doctor had said and before he could properly formed a word, the doctor cut in. "Don't worry. It's normal for someone who had just survived from severe head injuries to not remember things. You'll get back your memory in no time."

"I hope so.." Mark gave him a faint smile.

They ran few more test on him afterward to make sure everything was alright before sending him to normal ward.

 

The memories of his dream were still there but began to blur with each passing second. Everything started to fade the moment he woke up, leaving nothing behind, back to square one. Only the mixed feelings were remained, still lingered inside his heart. Moments later, an odd sadness pricked his heart as a man's voice rang out inside his head, kept repeating over and over again. 

I have no regrets. I'm just glad you're alive. 

He still can hear how sorrow the man's voice sounded as he said the words, as if he was losing everything he held dear. But who was he. Jackson. He had a hunch it wasn't him nor Jinyoung and Bambam. Not someone he knew.

Darkness enveloped him. All of sudden, a feeling of profound loss and emptiness swept over him, almost overpowering in intensity and slowly tears formed at the corners of his eyes, then trailed in streaks down his face. Everything felt so surreal and it was hard to tell if it was a real thing or just a dream.

Then, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder, dismissing all the thoughts and feelings he currently had. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful for that. The lingering feeling was too much for him and yet he's afraid to let it go, as if that was the only thing that connect him with his past. With a deep sigh, he slowly opened his eyes and turned to face whoever he was.

"Hey, you okay?"

Jackson asked. Concern clouded his face when he saw the tears.

"Yeah.. I'm fine, Jackson. By the way, how did you find me here?"

"I saw you in the news this morning, about your accident and I was so shock. So, I call all the hospitals in town, searching for you." He said, earning him a nod from the elder.

With the Hong Kong male who has known to be a mood maker, stay beside him and accompanied him for quite some times, all the weird feelings he felt before disappeared, like it was never happened before.

But there's one thing that he found it odd. Whenever he tried to ask Jackson regarding the accident, where he was going and with who, the latter just brushed away his questions either by giving a vague answer or just naturally change the subject. So, in the end, he decided to stop asking about it, at least for now.

Then, a slender figure approached them, panting a little bit as he stood in front of Mark's bed.

"Hyung, you're awake! Thank God. You have no idea how worried Jaebum hyung was. Ah.. Speaking of him, Jinyoung hyung asked me to look for him. I should get going or he will kill me for real."

Bambam stole a glance at Jackson who's fidgeting at his seat upon hearing Jaebum's name. Well, he should be because once Jaebum knows about this, Jackson will be dead meat. Serve him right. A smirk appeared on his face as he hurriedly walked away from them. But he had failed to notice the look of confusion on Mark's face. If he had stayed a bit longer, he would be able to stop all the lies that Jackson was about to feed the elder.

"Jaebum? Who?" Mark asked. Never heard the name before.

"Jinyoung's friend. Do you remember Jinyoung?" Mark nodded. Of course he knows who Jinyoung and Bambam are. But Jaebum, he can't recall if he ever heard the name before.

Jackson studied Mark's reaction, afraid he might caught him in a lie because he might be just pretending to not know who Jaebum was. But, then he saw Mark tilted his head slightly to one side, something that he always do when he was puzzled and confused. He saw an opportunity and there's no way in the world he will let it go to waste.

"You should be careful with him. He got some serious issues with temper. And-" Jackson suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, eyes fixed on Mark.

"And what?"

"He's the one who drive the car."

"He and I in the same car? But how? I don't know him." That seems far-fetched, riding in a car with stranger sounds completely absurd to him.

"He has a crush on you. No, to say that would be an understatement, he's totally obsessed with you." And now, that was definitely scary. Having a secret admirer should be interesting but this- whoever this guy was, absolutely has crossed the line. He was speechless. He couldn't find any words to describe how he felt right now.

"Hey, look- I don't want to talk shit about him since he's Jinyoung's best friend, but all I could say, be careful and don't trust him." 

There was nothing else for a long time and eventually they fell into deep silence. Mark's whole mind was occupied by what he had heard from Jackson. He started to wonder how this Jaebum guy looks like and part of him wanted to meet this guy so badly despite all the negative things Jackson had told him.

A few hours had passed since he's awake but there's still no sign of Jinyoung and Bambam (and the infamous Jaebum). He stole a glance around the ward amid the conservations, hoping he could see that guy since the nurse told him Jaebum was admitted to this ward as well but to no avail. Then, abruptly, Jackson sprang from his seat, eyes on the ground upon hearing a voice and Mark could hear the anger in his voice as he ask why Jackson was there. Mark looked up and his eyes met with a pair of dark brown orbs looking at him. Captivated by the twin birthmark above his left eyes.

He must be Jaebum.

There's something about that guy that had drawn him to the other. Especially his gaze, icy cold but he caught a glimpse of familiar warmth beneath those eyes and it reminds him of home. His home. 

Gradually, an odd feeling pressed his body and a sudden wave of sadness came crashing down on him but his mind betrayed his own heart.

"He's my friend, so of course he has to be here, but you- Who the hell are you?"

The words spilled out of his mouth before he could think about it, and now he regretted it. The hurt in this Jaebum guy's face when he'd flatout asked him who he was, somehow made him felt something and almost doubting whatever Jackson had told him about that guy.

"Are you kidding me, hyung? You don't remember Jaebum?" Jinyoung asked annoyingly. This isn't time for a silly joke like this.

But before Mark could say anything, Jaebum chimed in. "I'm asking you one last time. Do you really have no idea who I am?" 

A firm no came out from Mark and everyone was stunned at his reaction, every pair of eyes fixed on Jaebum's face.

"So, it works. It really works." That the only words that he could think of at that moment to explain all this ridiculous things happening right now. With Mark has no memory of him, only him and that means.. He doesn't have enough time.

~

He was left alone, lying in his hospital bed as Jinyoung and Bambam went back to their respective houses to take a shower and change to a clean clothes after spending more than 24hours taking care of him. To be honest, he doesn't want to be alone especially in this awkward situation where he has to witness them flirting with each other and Jackson suddenly have the balls to provoke him by intimately touching his boyfriend's face. 

He wanted to shout "hands off, you bastard!" and threw a punch on his damn face. He only need one punch to let that guy knows his place, but now his boyfriend doesn't remember him anymore or anything related to him. To Mark, he is a total stranger while Jackson is his friend. He needs to come up with a plan, on how to get his boyfriend back, to make Mark fall in love with him again within the given time without telling him the truth. Or else, he's going to lose everything. Every single thing.

Then, a laugh coming out of Mark, immediately seized his attention. He frowned, feeling a wave of irritation building up inside of him and slowly his anger at them evaporated, waiting for a right time to explode.

He hate it but he won't regret the decision he'd made. Not even once. But he can't lie to himself. Being in the same room with them, sharing the same air and watching them smiling to each other which once only belong to him made him lost his marbles. Maybe not yet but he was about to. 

He ain't saint.

No longer be able to keep his sanity with them just few feet away from him and before he lost his temper, he need to get his ass off here, away from this room. Slowly, he rose from his bed and walked out of the ward to the lobby.

Once he settled in the seat at the far end of the lobby, away from the crowd, he leaned his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Trying to slow down his mind that currently bouncing crazily inside his head. But, unknown to him a pair of eyes was watching him from afar, from the minute Jaebum stepped into the lobby.

He then walked towards Jaebum with determination. Jaebum needs to know the truth. When he approached Mark last time, he wished the elder could at least listen to him and took his words seriously but as he had expected, history is repeating itself. How foolish he was when he thought he could prevent all this things from happen again. Carefully, he took a seat beside Jaebum and continuously stared at the other's face, contemplating a little bit either to make his presence known or to just wait for him. But, Jaebum was already awake because of the noise from the chair and saw an unknown guy was looking at him. Startled with the guy's wide eyes, he sat straight up in his seat. Took him a few minutes to grasp what actually happening at the moment.

"Do I know you?" Jaebum asked, his brow furrowed in confusion as the guy openly stared at him without even batting an eyelash and his blatant stare made him felt uneasy. Normally, it was the other way around where people tend to look away from his gaze.

He sure is different. He thought to himself as his eyes wandered over this "John Doe" face and down to his oversize grey sweatshirt. Then, something caught his eyes. At the left bottom of the sweatshirt, there's something embroidered on the shirt like an initial. KYG & CYJ

"You've made a grave mistake." Finally the mysterious guy spoke, brought Jaebum's attention back to him.

"Sorry?"

"She's after you.." There was a moment of silence before he continued.

"You! Not him."


	8. CH 7

Before, he would definitely love the silence of the night where everyone is asleep or when he and Mark were too engrossed in their reading, scrub that - that statement only applied for him because Mark will definitely fall asleep right after reading few words and his steady heart beat was like a music to Jaebum's ears, accompanying throughout the night. In short, he enjoyed the comfortable silent between them. But now, not anymore. He finds this awful silence unbearable, suffocating him. With Mark only few feets away from him, sleeping peacefully like he always did but the only different is he wasn't there, beside Mark and Jackson is slowly replacing him inside Mark's world. Watching them getting closer with each passing seconds made him losing his mind. And he doesn't know how long he could last. Everything about Mark is occupying his mind right now, his smell, which he finds Mark smell like a clean fabric with a faint hint of lavender, his messy bed hair and when he was greeted by Mark's happy smile, showing his cute canine teeth, whenever he woke up in the morning. 

Then, out of nowhere, his mind race back to what had happened earlier- the conversation he had with the mysterious guy in the hospital lobby, who claimed he had made a mistake by intefering with fate and he's actually the one in danger. Not Mark. The thought of him in danger never crossed his mind before because all he could thinks of, is how to save Mark and he's more than willing to do anything. But, he can't deny - at least to himself - that the conversation he had with the stranger, slightly affect him in some ways.

"You just dig your own grave by asking for her help."  
A sudden sharp pain filled his head, feeling the blood pulsing and pounding in his head. He grimaced.

"Leave me alone" He said weakly.

"I won't do that if I were you. You have no idea how serious the situation is-"

"Get the hell out of here!" with the pain still throbbing in his head and this unknown guy keeps talking about things that his brain can't processed, he no  
longer can suppressed his anger and before he said something that he might regret later, he has to walk away. But then, his words stopped Jaebum in his track, bringing him to a standstill.

"How much time do you have?"  
Jaebum turned around, facing the guy. How did he knows about that. He was shocked by the question, in fact, he feels naked in front of the younger guy - judging by his face and appearance, clearly he is younger than him.

And watching Jaebum just stared at him without having the intention to answer his question, Youngjae keeps going. He has to convince Jaebum that he means no harm and he just wanted to help."The clock is ticking. If you don't do something about it, your life is in danger. Everything that happened was just an excuse for her to get you because she knows your weakness. And-" he stopped for a moment, trying to read Jaebum's reaction.  
"I believe she had something to do with your accident as well."

With a heavy sigh, Jaebum settled back into the seat. He took a deep breath. "1 month. Only 1 month."

"Blood oath?" Jaebum nodded.

"Shit. This is worse than I thought." and they fell into another silence, broken only when Jaebum suddenly stood up from his occupied seat.

"Where are you going?" Youngjae asked.

"To find her-" the youger hold on Jaebum's hospital gown to stop him from walk away.

"Trust me, you won't find her until the day she come to claim the payment.'

"Do you really have no idea who she is?"

While JB was lying on his hospital bed, idle thoughts tumble over and over again in his head. He was too lost in his own black thoughts to realize that his hands has started to turned white as he tightened his grip on the edge of the bed until Jinyoung's voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Hyung, what's wrong?" bring Jaebum's back to the present as he started to pick up the antiseptic smell of the hospital. Slowly he turned towards the younger, who sat beside him, eyes darting on his tightened grip.

"I'm fine."

One of the biggest lies he had said but there's no way in the world he could tell the younger what's inside his mind even he wanted to, because he, himself still trying to get a grasp on the whole situation. One moment, Mark was still his clingy yet adorable boyfriend and the next seconds they're a complete stranger, where Mark no longer has memories of him. With a deep sigh, he slowly loosened his grip, bringing back the colour to his achingly stiff hand but all the questions and thoughts inside his head began to override the pain in his hand.

"Jinyoung, help me?" JB whispered, breaking the silence. "Find a way to keep Jackson away from Mark. I need to talk to him, alone."

"But-"

"Please." And left Jinyoung with no choice but to come up with a plan.

xxXXxx

They were sitting in the cafe, facing each other across the table but neither of them is speaking. It's like some sort of mental game to see who's going to give in and start the conversation and Jinyoung has the whole day to play along. Besides, he has a task to keep Jackson away from Mark, so Jaebum has enough time to have a word with his boyfriend. To be honest, he actually wonders what's really happening right now. How Mark can survive when he is badly injured and to make it worse, he lost all his memories of Jaebum. Only Jaebum. In theory, Mark shouldn't remembered him and Bambam as well because they basically knew each other through Jaebum.

Little did he knows, Jackson was watching him all the times. How his face drawn together and frown lines marred his handsome features, and now Jackson realized why Mark always felt threatened by Jinyoung even when the elder never verbally confirmed it. But he can see right through Mark because he loves him, and it's devastating to see how ignorant Jaebum was towards Mark's feeling when it came to Jinyoung. That's the reason why he can't let this rare opportunity go to waste. He doesn't want to lose Mark again.

"Is 10 minutes enough?" Jackson broke the silence, tired of waiting for Jinyoung to speak.

"H-Huh?" Jackson's question caught him off guard and all the scripts that he has practiced before to make all this silly plan looked natural- since he barely knows Jackson- disappeared into the thin air and left him stuttering in front of that guy.

"Don't be too surprised. I know why we're here." he said in a sarcastic tone. As a matter of fact, he knew what Jinyoung had in mind when he asked Jackson to meet him today. He doesn't need to be super genius like Albert Einstein to figure out the true motive behind their meeting.

"Why?" Since his cover has been blown, there's no point to pretend to be friendly and nice. It might be best to just confront Jackson and figure out his real intention.

"What?" Jackson feigned ignorance.

"Why are doing this to them?"  
He asked again even though he knows Jackson are well aware of the topic but instead of answering the question, Jackson looked straight into Jinyoung's eyes, searching for something before he replied.

"Why not?" He replied with another question and it took Jinyoung a great deal of work to calm himself down, looking at the Hong Kong's male facial expression. When not even a tiny bit of guilt appeared on his face.

"They're together. Mark and Jae-"

"Blah blah blah.. Whatever. Don't care. All that matters right now is he doesn't remember Jaebum. And only him."  
And before Jinyoung could counter back, Jackson cut him off with something that made him lost for words. "Dude, don't pretend like you're so concern about them. I can see it in your eyes. Crystal clear."

"What the fuck!"

"You love him, right? I mean, Jaebum."

Then, right at that moment, something clicked deep down inside him..


	9. CH 8

One moment Mark was still lying on his hospital bed, eyes fixed on the dull white ceiling after Jackson went somewhere, leaving him alone. And the next second he was dragged against his will to the secluded back stairs area, away from his ward. The strong hand that gripped his hand all this while was belong to none other than the infamous Im Jaebum, who occupied few beds away from him and whose eyes always landed on his direction. Not that he anticipated something from his so called secret admirer, according to Jackson, but he can't help to notice the changes in Jaebum's face when Jackson was around. The way he looked at them, eyes filled with anger and he didn't even try to hide his feeling. Jaw tightened and deep frowns started to spread across his handsome face.

 

Handsome?

 

Yes, Mark had to admit that Jaebum is definitely a head-turner even during their not-so-pleasant first encounter, but now being this close, made him realized things that he didn't before. Beneath those sharp features, broad shoulder, confidence aura and deep powerful gaze that could pierce through your soul, lying a fragile, lost and uncertain feelings. Very well hidden behind the mask he made. It somehow made him wondered what else that this guy trying to conceal from the world.

 

"What do you want from me? I clearly told you that I've no idea who you are." His mouth was totally not connected to his brain or his heart right now as he said the words. It was like someone has cast a spell on him, controlling him from a far.

 

If Jaebum aren't aware of the whole situation, the words and the tone that Mark used might hurt him. But now, with Mark had no memories of him, it's a defensive way or a barrier he had draw towards a stranger, like him. Stranger. The word sound strange to him. Now, everything depends on him to convince Mark and help him get back his memory. Finger crossed.

 

He met his gaze and for a long moment they fell into silence before his expression soften and changed to one of contended tenderness. Slowly, his eyes roaming over his boyfriend's face, from his beautiful dark brown orbs down to his tempting lip and he had to fight back the urge to kiss him. The piled up feelings didn't help at this moment. Not be able to hold Mark, touch him, cuddling on the bed as they always did made him crazy. He missed his boyfriend so much.

 

He stared for a moment longer before he shook his head, trying to brush off those thoughts since he knows it will only make things worse between them and that was the last thing on his list.

 

"You better say something or-" Mark stopped in mid-sentence, suddenly aware of their close proximity as Jaebum came one step closer, closing their distance.

 

He never liked stranger invading his personal space but right now he hadn't reacted negatively to his presence at all- He doesn't know why he was affected by this guy so much. If Jaebum is so important to him why he can't remember him at all.   
Strange.

 

Up Close, he could see the faint hint of stubble on Jaebum's face, looks like he doesn't shave for quite some times and surprisingly it made him looked way hotter than he already is. And the clean sharp minty smell of his freshly washed hair seemed to envelope him, made him lightheaded.

 

"Or?" He slightly raised his eyebrow as he looked straight into Mark's eyes, making the elder fumbled for words, pink dusted his cheekbones and eventually broke the eye contact. 

 

Then, Jaebum took his hand and the sudden contact between them made Mark's heart skipped a beat, almost making him jump on his feet. The burning sensation was too much for his fragile heart. Carefully, Jaebum stroked Mark's wrist over his scar which he had no idea how he get it.

 

"This.. Remember?" Jaebum's honey voice echoed in Mark's head and he shook his head almost immediately like a puppy.

 

"Cut yourself when you tripped on the snowy road and hit a rock. You had me worried for a moment when your hand was bleeding but, you being you, just smiling as if nothing happen." a smile formed on Jaebum's face as he reminisced the memory. That moment was still fresh inside his mind, where Mark trying to show off his skateboarding tricks on an impromptu snowy filled skate stop and things went wrong in a split second. Luckily, nothing too serious happen, except few stitches on his wrist.

 

As Jaebum keep caressing his hand as if it is the most precious and fragile thing on earth, a memory tickled the back of his mind, moving to fast for him to place it. It's more like a deja vu rather than a memory for him. Suddenly, his chest filled with warmth that wrapped him like a soft blanket of joy, smelling like clean fabric with a hint of cedar. Familiar, like home.

 

Mark doesn't want to break the nice atmosphere but curiosity got the better of him. So, he asked. "What else do you know about me?"

 

"About you? Everything." He said, eyes never leaving Mark's face.

 

"Like how you love jelly over strawberry shortcake or how you can eat a tub of Bourbon Pecan Praline ice cream by yourself in the middle of the night without gaining any weight but instead it took a toll on my body." Jaebum's words left Mark in confusion. How did he knows about that. Even his mom couldn't get his favourite things right. That only mean two things, either there's something between them or Jaebum is his stalker like Jackson claimed. 

 

"Just because you know my favourite things, doesn't mean we're together- like how you and Jinyoung insist." 

 

Jaebum sighed. Mark can be a bit stubborn sometimes and today was no exception. But, he's not going to back down. Not today. Not after all the effort to keep Mark and Jackson away from each other. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before speak again.

 

"How did you know Jinyoung and Bambam?"

 

Mark stared in confusion at Jaebum's question. He didn't expect that kind of stupid question. He thought Jaebum would spilled some of his deep, dirty secret kind of things.

 

"Tsk.. Of course I know them, they are my fri-" the words stuck in his throat. He was so sure the question was stupid until reality gave him a wake up call. How did he knows them? He had no idea. Did Jackson introduced them to him.

 

"Maybe Jackson-"

 

Jaebum cut in, putting off the idea. "Mark, they are my best friends. Jackson barely knows them. How can he introduced them to you?"

 

Mark lost for words. Something twitched inside him, a memory nudging its way back to the surface. Not an event but of a feeling, the same bittersweet fizz he'd felt when he tried alcohol for the first time.  
Was that a memory? Can it be considered as one.  
The silence between them lengthens.

 

"Mark.. Listen. I know this is hard for you, but I want you to- at least trust me." Jaebum broke the silence, placing his hand gently on Mark's hand and give it a little squeeze.

 

However, the little contact between them affect Mark differently this time as if his hand had been electrified under Jaebum's touch, running through his vein, straight to his heart. Pain. That's what he felt at the moment. He retracted his hand almost immediately and gave Jaebum the wrong idea.

 

"Do you really hate me that much?"  
He was literary stunned by Mark's reaction, heartbroken or anything in that category- he no longer can hide the disappointment that threaten to spread on his face. Why is it so hard for Mark to trust him. Is this the obstacle that the John Doe guy had mentioned before as a part of the witch girl's plan. 

 

Will he lose everything in the end. That's more likely to happen.

 

"I- I don't know. Some part of me wanted to believe everything you said but- Shit! This is absurd. I mean, the situation we are in. I need time. I'm sorry." and with that, he walked away, leaving a heartbroken Jaebum and their slowly faded memory behind.

 

"But I don't have time.."

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting in here, I'm a newbie :) Cross-post on AFF


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